Manual therapy on the other hand, did provide patients with substantial improvements in pain.

Nearly two-thirds of patients had at least a 30% reduction in pain, and half of patients had at least a 50% reduction in pain.

Manual therapy patients reported the greatest satisfaction with their treatment, and were less likely to depend on pain medications than the ultrasound and sham groups. Their decreased dependency on drugs was encouraging to researchers who suggested that manual therapies could help patients avoid potentially-addictive drugs.

The study adds to the existing research on the efficacy of chiropractic manual therapies for lower back pain. One recent study suggests that chiropractic adjustments are the best conservative treatment for back pain.